Photo by Mitch Teemley

Why do we need to believe in him? One night many years ago, I ran into a young woman “witnessing” on a street corner. She told me Jesus loved me, but that I needed “to believe in him in order to be saved.” I asked her why. She seemed uncertain how to answer, so I continued, “I believe there’s a God-force or something out there. So, if he/she/it loves me, why isn’t that enough?”

Here’s how she might have answered:

James 2:19 tells us that demons believe in the existence of God. How could they not? He’s “the enemy!” But he doesn’t tell us they believe in God. Which may seem insignificant, but that missing word is everything.

Believing someone means believing they’re stating facts correctly, even though you may take no action in response to that belief.

But believing in someone means trusting in that person themself, and acting in accord with that trust. In fact, the more literal translation of Acts 16:31 says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus.” Why? Because, while there are numerous in words in the biblical Greek, this specific in word indicates an active response, an action taken.

A year after that young woman spoke with me, I took a life-changing leap of faith. I’d begun reading the words of Jesus and come to believe that, as the Apostle Peter said, Jesus had “the words of eternal life,” that he himself, and not just his words, was Life. And so I took action. I leaped.

Have you?

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